Search form

Organized Wealth is Out to Screw US

Public attention on right-wing funding in political campaigns has been galvanized by the attack on working people in Wisconsin by an ultraconservative governor out to crush labor unions. Funders such as the Kock Brothers and right-wing institutions such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), have been explored by numerous progressive groups.

There is, however, a much larger elaborate strategic right-wing process at work here. It started with the Powell Memo in 1971 urging corporations and wealthy elites to defend the "Free Market" against "Tax & Spend" liberals, "Big Government" progressives, and "Thugish" union leaders. These slogans are part of a carefully-crafted propaganda campaign by organized wealth.

And this massive campaign by organized wealth is just part of the more than $1 Billion spent by right-wing funders since 1971 to shift wealth upwards, pick our pockets, and stomp on the basic human rights of most of us.

Their strategy is simple, and they openly brag about it....

Public attention on right-wing funding in political campaigns has been galvanized by the attack on working people in Wisconsin by an ultraconservative governor out to crush labor unions. Funders such as the Kock Brothers and right-wing institutions such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), have been explored by numerous progressive groups.
There is, however, a much larger elaborate strategic right-wing process at work here. It started with the Powell Memo in 1971 urging corporations and wealthy elites to defend the "Free Market" against "Tax & Spend" liberals, "Big Government" progressives, and "Thugish" union leaders. These slogans are part of a carefully-crafted propaganda campaign by organized wealth.
And this massive campaign by organized wealth is just part of the more than $1 Billion spent by right-wing funders since 1971 to shift wealth upwards, pick our pockets, and stomp on the basic human rights of most of us.
Their strategy is simple, and they openly brag about it....

• Cut taxes, especially for the wealthy, to "starve" federal, state, and local governments until their ability to serve our needs is wrecked.

• Attack labor unions and minimum wage laws to lower labor costs.

• Push deregulation to remove laws that protect the environment and public safety.

Let's use labor unions as an example.
Over the past 30 years, right-wing corporate conservatives and economic libertarians have spent more than $170 million just trying to convince us that labor unions are bad for America, and that government laws and regulations should not protect a worker's right to organize a union without harassment or termination.
The coalition of foundations that fund conservative and right-wing think tanks and other institutions that attack organized labor give money to an array of allied and interconnected think tanks that numerous reports and issue an endless stream of press releases.
This creates the impression that there is a groundswell of support for reigning in labor unions and government "interference" in corporate affairs.
These foundations often give long-term grants that provide stability and ensure the survival of conservative and right-wing think tanks. They support both a Social Movement Infrastructure and a Political Movement Infrastructure.
Until a similar progressive social movement infrastructure is created and sustained, the Democratic Party will continue to move to the right; and the right-wing attacks on working people, a living wage, and handy scapegoats will increase.
Militant social movement pull political parties toward their demands...it never works the other way around
Fight Back!
For more information, visit the Organized Wealth website
(Click on the exclamation point after you get the joke)

Liked this article? Join our email listStay up to date with the latest headlines via email